{"id":1917571,"date":"2026-05-04T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1917571"},"modified":"2026-05-04T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T21:00:00","slug":"gijs-van-vaerenbergh-gracefully-reimagines-a-16th-century-belgian-abbey-church-in-steel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1917571","title":{"rendered":"Gijs Van Vaerenbergh Gracefully Reimagines a 16th-Century Belgian Abbey Church in Steel"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content prose-colossal max-w-none\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-style-default entry-header is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-fe9cc265 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"colo-post-featured-image wp-block-post-featured-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/clausura-2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"a large-scale steel installation outdoors in the shape of a church, modeled after Herkenrode Abbey\" style=\"object-fit:cover\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">All images courtesy of Gijs Van Vaerenbergh, shared with permission<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group post-title is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0bc941e6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h1 class=\"alignfull wp-block-post-title\">Gijs Van Vaerenbergh Gracefully Reimagines a 16th-Century Belgian Abbey Church in Steel<\/h1>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-meta is-layout-flex wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-05-04T12:00:00-05:00\">May 4, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"taxonomy-category wp-block-post-terms\"><a class=\"category-design\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/design\/\" rel=\"tag\">Design<\/a><a class=\"category-history\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/history\/\" rel=\"tag\">History<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/author\/kmothes\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"wp-block-post-author-name__link\">Kate Mothes<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-share-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing has-visible-labels has-icon-color is-style-logos-only is-layout-flex wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-is-layout-flex\">\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-facebook has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F05%2Fgijs-van-vaerenbergh-herkenrode-abbey-steel-installation-heritage-belgium%2F&amp;title=Gijs%20Van%20Vaerenbergh%20Gracefully%20Reimagines%20a%2016th-Century%20Belgian%20Abbey%20Church%20in%20Steel\" aria-label=\"Share\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tShare\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-mail has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#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\" aria-label=\"Email\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tEmail\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><button class=\"simplefavorite-button preset\" data-postid=\"473632\" data-siteid=\"1\" data-groupid=\"1\" data-favoritecount=\"0\"><i class=\"sf-icon-bookmark\"><\/i>Bookmark<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In the late 12th century, a nobleman named Count Gerard van Loon commissioned an abbey to serve as his final resting place. Over the next few decades, amid plenty of political tumult, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.herita.be\/en\/herkenrode-abbey\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Herkenrode Abbey<\/a> in Hasselt, Belgium, was converted to the first Cistercian convent for women. It was a site of pilgrimage from the 13th to the 15th centuries, and despite regional wars and economic uncertainty, it stayed the course. During the 16th century, it experienced its heyday thanks to the patronage of a figure named Prince Bishop Evrard van der Marck, seeing the addition of a Gothic church that brimmed with beautiful stained glass windows, textiles, paintings, and more.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Eighty_Years%27_War\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Eighty Years\u2019 War<\/a> paused Herkenrode\u2019s prosperity, and once things stabilized again politically, the abbey experienced several decades of good fortune, although much of this wealth was spent on the abbesses\u2019 own acquisitions of property and art in a show of their prestige. But the paradigm-shifting <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Li%C3%A8ge_Revolution\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Li\u00e8ge Revolution<\/a>, which coincided with the French Revolution, brought all of this crashing to a halt by 1796. The abbey complex was promptly sold and dismantled.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/clausura-4.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-473632\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2604\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/clausura-4.jpg\" alt=\"a large-scale steel installation outdoors in the shape of a church, modeled after Herkenrode Abbey\" class=\"wp-image-473636\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<p>Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Heckenrode went through many other uses, including factories and even a series of private homes, before it was again acquired by a religious organization in the 1970s. While the original 16th-century abbey church no longer exists due to a devastating fire in 1826, the site remains one of the region\u2019s most culturally significant. And Herita has been working to restore it. As part of a phased regeneration of the landmark and its park, an ethereal, life-size sculpture of the abbey titled <em>CLAUSURA<\/em> by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gijsvanvaerenbergh.com\/\">Gijs Van Vaerenbergh<\/a> has risen from the building\u2019s original footprint.<\/p>\n<p>The studio, founded by Belgian designers Pieterjan Gijs and Arnout Van Vaerenbergh, conceived of <em>CLAUSURA <\/em>as \u201can artistic vision for the vanished heart of Herkenrode.\u201d True to scale, the structure is made of slender steel rods that rise from the ground in an airy framework. The installation revolves around the idea of memory and sensation: rather than rebuilding the abbey to try to mirror what it may have looked like hundreds of years ago, the work nods to its past with an airy elegance. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe new volumes are transparent, allowing their silhouettes to blend seamlessly with the landscape in the background,\u201d says a statement. \u201cThe intervention balances between reconstruction and abstraction, as the original structures are evoked through a refined play of suggestion. Iconic details such as windows, vaults, and towers enhance the sense of recognisability, although at times, these elements dissolve back into a chaos of lines.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/clausura-5.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-473632\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/clausura-5.jpg\" alt=\"a large-scale steel installation outdoors in the shape of a church, modeled after Herkenrode Abbey\" class=\"wp-image-473637\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<p>Gijs Van Vaerenbergh is known for its architectural interventions, often utilizing steel, stone, wood, and a wide range of other building materials to re-envision spaces as structural sculptures. \u201cWhat unites their diverse output is a sustained focus on\u00a0how space is experienced\u2014visually, bodily and temporally,\u201d a statement says.<\/p>\n<p><em>CLAUSURA <\/em>is being constructed in three phases. The first, which is also the most ambitious, is slated to open to the public on June 18. Visitors will be able to walk and reflect amid the installation. See more on Gijs Van Vaerenbergh\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/gijsvanvaerenbergh\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instagram<\/a>, and learn about the restoration progress and how to visit on Herita\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.herita.be\/en\/herkenrode-abbey\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/clausura-1.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-473632\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"3000\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/clausura-1.jpg\" alt=\"a large-scale steel installation outdoors in the shape of a church, modeled after Herkenrode Abbey\" class=\"wp-image-473633\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/clausura-3.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-473632\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2827\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/clausura-3.jpg\" alt=\"a large-scale steel installation outdoors in the shape of a church, modeled after Herkenrode Abbey\" class=\"wp-image-473635\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"after-entry\" role=\"complementary\" aria-label=\"After Entry\">\n<section id=\"block-16\" class=\"widget widget_block widget_text\">\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#88caf0\" class=\"has-inline-color\"><strong>Do stories and artists like this matter to you?<\/strong><\/mark> Become a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/members\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"118516\">Colossal Member<\/a> now, and support independent arts publishing.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"block-17\" class=\"widget widget_block\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-top is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top member-benefits is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hide advertising<\/li>\n<li>Save your favorite articles<\/li>\n<li>Get 15% off in the <a href=\"https:\/\/colossal.shop\/\">Colossal Shop<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Receive members-only newsletter<\/li>\n<li>Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top member-options is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-fe9cc265 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Join us today!<\/h3>\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-horizontal is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-crow-color has-verdigris-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/colossal.memberful.com\/checkout?plan=113464\">$7\/month<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-crow-color has-verdigris-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/colossal.memberful.com\/checkout?plan=113463\">$75\/year<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-crow-color has-chalk-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/members\/\">Explore membership options<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"20\" height=\"21\" class=\"wp-image-327872\" style=\"width: 20px\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/arrow-left.svg\" alt><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/aside>\n<nav class=\"navigation post-navigation\" role=\"navigation\">\n<div class=\"nav-links\">\n<div class=\"nav-next\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/2026\/05\/quarantine-artist-residency-menorca\/\" rel=\"next\">Previous article<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"nav-previous\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/2026\/05\/the-hudson-transparencies-exhibition-illustration-science-history\/\" rel=\"prev\">Next article<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>All images courtesy of Gijs Van Vaerenbergh, shared with permission Gijs Van Vaerenbergh Gracefully Reimagines a 16th-Century Belgian Abbey Church in Steel May 4, 2026 DesignHistory Kate Mothes Share Email Bookmark In the late 12th century, a nobleman named Count Gerard van Loon commissioned an abbey to serve as his final resting place. Over the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,270],"class_list":["post-1917571","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-thisiscolossal-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1917571","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1917571"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1917571\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1917571"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1917571"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1917571"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}